Instagram: Quit Playing Games With Our Hearts!
There’s a surge of confidence that comes from the likes off Instagram. When I post a new selfie, my sense of self...changes. I refresh my stream to see the numbers jump throughout the day. I scroll through my profile and compare my likes to past posts. I do my silent algorithm under my breath and make mental notes on what my audience likes. ( I know, I’m sick) Imagine my agitation when CEO of the photo based platform, Adam Mosseri made the official announcement on Wired 25 that selected accounts in the US will be subject to having likes not visible to their followers. Before bringing this riff-raff to the U-S-of A, Insta has been testing this in multiple countries such as Australia, Canada, and Brazil. It seems that this might be the new norm for the gram. Initially, my remarks were, “ Welp, it was fun while it lasted. Because Instagram without likes is pointless.” In addition to that, I wondered how this would affect the influencer market. Don’t they thrive off the heart rates?
via Medium
Granted, my mental patterns detailed above may have something to do with the need for Instagram to stop wearing hearts on their sleeves. The pressure and desire for stranger validation can cause low self-esteem, mental health issues, and in extreme cases FOMO. The Facebook-owned platform has their reasons, they’re hiding likes to relieve what I like to call the insta-intimidation. There’s a lot of compare and contrast on this visually stimulating platform and if you're not careful, it’s easy to believe the misconception that someone else's life is so much better than yours. (lies)
Tucking away the likes is a chess move the gram hopes to move toward a healthier environment for youth all across the board. The good news is, if and when this rolls out on a massive scale, the likes will still be visible to the user, it’s just not available for your fans to see. The mental math, compulsive checking, and the negative thought process behind less than expected likes will be eliminated. Through these dramatic changes, real love Instagram has for its audience pulsates and that’s one heart that should never be hidden.
Cover image via Yahoo Finance
